MWC 2018: Huawei MateBook X Pro, MediaPad 5 and first 5G chip launched

Huawei MateBook X Pro

Huawei's Mate series of notebooks have had a good response in the international markets and it looks like the company is continuing to innovate in the MateBook series. This time though, while full-screen designs have gained a lot of popularity in the smartphone world Huawei has gone an extra mile and introduced a FullView touchscreen notebook.

Talking about its features, MateBook X Pro comes with a 13.9-inch display as per the details provided the display has a 91 percent screen to body ratio with 3200X2000 resolution at 260ppi, 450 nits of brightness and 1500:1 contrast ratio. The company boasts that the display has 100 percent sRGB color gamut. The display also features a Corning Gorilla glass and has a unibody metal design. MateBook X Pro measures 4.99 mm in thickness and weighs only 1.33 kgs.

Under the hood, the laptop is powered by Intel's 8th generation i7 processor. The MateBook X Pro also comes with a shark fin design cooling fan and an intelligent cooling system. The chipset is accompanied by GEFORCE MX 150 GPU. The notebook will come in different RAM and storage configurations.

As for the audio, Huawei X Pro sports a quad-speaker setup with a split frequency setup and the company has also partnered with Dolby Atmos to deliver a better sound experience. The notebook also comes with a pop-up camera that comes out of the spill-proof keyboard. The touchpad has a glass finish for "precision and multitouch."

Talking about the battery, Huawei announced that the notebook is equipped with a larger and efficient battery which will deliver a better battery performance. The MateBook X pro will also come with a fast charger and the company has said that the notebook offers 6 hours with just 30 minutes of charging. The power button on the X Pro doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

Connectivity options include two USB Type-C ports and one Type-A USB along with a headphone jack. Huawei MateBook X Pro runs on Windows 10 operating system.

The Huawei MateBook X Pro will be available starting second quarter of 2018. Huawei MateBook X Pro Intel Core i5 + 8GB of RAM + 256GB SSD will cost1499 Euros (roughly Rs 1,19,200), Intel Core i7 + 8GB of RAM + 512GB SSD will come at 1699 Euros (roughly Rs 1,35,200) and Intel Core i7 + 16GB RAM + 512GB SSD will be available at 1899 Euros (roughly Rs 1,51,100). The notebook will come in two colors which will include Space Grey and Mystic Silver.

Unfortunately, there are no details on the availability of the MateBook X Pro in India.

Huawei MediaPad M5

Huawei MediaPad M5 is an Android tablet and it comes in two different variants which include a 10.8-inch and 8.4-inch screen models. The tablet features a curved-edge 2.5D curved glass on top and a unibody metal design.

Huawei has included a ClariVu display with the new tablet and it comes with a resolution of 2560X1600. The device has an 82 percent screen to body ratio. MediaPad M5 comes with a quad-speaker system tuned by Harman Kardon.

The Huawei MediaPad M5 is powered by a Kirin 960 Series processor for peak performance and it runs on EMUI 8.0. The tablets are backed by a long-lasting battery - 5,100 mAh for 8.4-inch and 7,500 mAh for the 10.8-inch model. The battery life on the device is said to deliver up to 12 hours of video playback and it also comes with quick charge support built-in.

Android has been optimized for productivity on the 10.8-inch Huawei MediaPad M5 with a ‘Desktop View' experience that improves navigation for productivity-related activities. This includes a Taskbar and easy access to files for sharing and editing. The 10.8-inch Huawei MediaPad M5 also features ‘Pogo Pins' that allow a keyboard to be connected, improving productivity even further.

Interestingly Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro also ships with a stylus dubbed as M-Pen and a full-size keyboard accessory.

The MediaPad series will be available at a starting price of 348 Euros (roughly Rs. 27,737) and it will be hitting shelves starting March 2018. They will be available in two colors: Champagne Gold and Space Gray.

Huawei Balong 5G01

Huawei on Sunday unveiled its first chip to enable mobile devices to access 5G internet speeds. With the launch of Huawei Balong 5G01, the company has claimed that it is the world's first commercial chipset that meets 5G standards. According to the company, the new chip can reach download speeds of up to 2.3 gigabits per second. In any case, the main point here is that, now that Huawei has its own chipset and it will offer more capabilities to the company.

Further, Huawei will have better control over the design and performance of its new devices. The company can also now depend less on other suppliers. "5G technology will underpin the next leap forward for our intelligent world, where people, vehicles, homes, and devices are fully connected, delivering new experiences, insights, and capabilities," said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group.

He added,"Since 2009, Huawei has invested US$600 million in research and development into 5G technologies, where we have led the way with innovations around network architecture, spectrum usage, field verification and more. From connected vehicles and smart homes to AR/VR and hologram videos, we are committed to developing a mature 5G ecosystem so that consumers can benefit from a truly connected world that transforms the way we communicate and share."

Nothing has been revealed as to whether Huawei will license its Balong 5G01 chipset to other device makers as well.